The Vampire Orphans
by Cara Matarazzo
Summary: Heather and a group of newfound vampire friends send her into a whole new world.


1

"Mary, Mary! Where are you?" I cried. Another moan came from the bedroom. "Heath…er…helllp meee." Mary's voice was faint. I walked

up to the door, took a deep breath, and opened it slowly, letting it creak.

The first thing I noticed was how pale she was. Her body face was completely drained of color; her eyes squeezed shut in a pained way,

In addition, her neck had two holes in it that peculiarly looked like bite marks.

I gasped and raced to her side. "What happened to you Mary!" She shuddered on the floor, and then opened her heavy eyes. "He… he came to my window. He asked if I was unhappy. He climbed up the tree," she lifted her arm and pointed, then pulled back as if she was electrocuted, "Garold

said he could change all that. He said we could live together, have a life away from this wretched place. He said my beauty could be everlasting….. Forever beautiful," She smiled a bit through her twisted expression, "I said

It sounded too good to be true. He said to stay very still, and then….he bit my neck." Her eyes were shut again, but she opened them eventually, breathing a little heavier. Mary hunched up into a ball, and moaned. "I need…." I put one hand on her bony shoulder. "What is it Mary? What do you need?" Her eyelids fluttered. She was sick, infected by this boy. This

deranged teenager who had bit her enough to make holes in Mary's neck.

A little plead escaped her lips. "Pleasse, Heather. I neeeed bloood."

The world spun. How could I have not seen it? No normal boy could pierce skin with his teeth unless...that boy was a vampire. However, vampires do not exist, right? I had seen them in books, in Dracula in particular. You see, if we older orphans were lucky enough. The property owner would drop off some old classics like Frankenstein and Dracula, and the little ones might get something like Black Beauty or Snow White. We were taught to read, so it was not hard going through those books overnight. I remember the nightmares I had from those books, but still wanted more. I felt sick to my stomach after a realization of what became of vampires victim. The victims became one of them. I shivered and looked down at Mary.

Her face was drawn from exhaustion, her eyes closed, and her mouth shut very tight as if she was stopping herself... "Its unbearable, the...thirst." she whispered weakly. I understood quickly, but my mind was wandering about other factors that were occurring in the back of my brain. What was my friend to become?

All these years we were like sisters, inseparable. Nothing was supposed to

tear us apart. Her becoming a vampire was going to really test how strong our friendship really was. I snapped back out of my thoughts, and focused on what was happening now at the moment.

If I did not get some blood into her, she might have second thoughts about holding back her thirst, and decide to assassin me and suck my body clean of blood. I cringed at the graphic images that thought gave me, but then pushed them away. "Do you need anything else?" I asked her. She slowly nodded, "Soo...cold, blankets... in...trunk." All right, hmmmm, where was that trunk? I scanned the room with my eyes. Aha! Found it! The old, rusty-hinged trunk that sat right in front of the window. I walked swiftly towards it, opened it, and pulled out the first woolen blanked I saw. I walked back with the big, fluffy blanket, the trunk lid slamming shut behind me. I kneeled by her and spread the blanket out over Mary. Her eyes snapped open, which now were not hazel, but a bright turquoise that almost glowed. "Garold, get Garold, he'll know what to do," she said, her voice stronger than before, "He's not that far away." How does she know that? Oh, never mind that, I need to find Garold, he is my only hope. However, where exactly was he? Maybe he is in the woods...I thought looking there first was a good idea, so I stood up, and walked to the window again.

A cool breeze blew in the room, which made me shiver. I searched the woods through the window, hoping to spot Garold. However, the woods were deep, and the search was useless. But, I could not give up until I found him, "Garold!" I screamed at the top of my lungs."Garold! Mary needs you. I don't know what to do, please help me!" My voice echoed through the woods.

No answer.

I turned away, trying to accept that I was alone in this. However, just before I was about to give up, a twig cracked nearby. I spun around and took one-step towards the window. I looked down, and there stood a handsome boy that looked about fifteen. His face was angular, as if chizzled, his nose was a perfect ski jump, and his eyes glowed bright turquoise like Mary's did.

"Did someone call my name?" he grinned, revealing a full set of straight, pearly white teeth. It was an open and friendly smile, so I tried to be polite. "Yes, I did Garold. Mary is very... thirsty. And I am the only thing edible in the room, in her case, and I do not want to be her next meal." I pause, Garold chuckles and Mary giggles. "So please, do come in." I smiled kindly, hoping I did not look too scared or shaken. I mean, two vampires and one human makes me a bit frightened. "Thank you," he looks into my eyes

then looks down at his feet. "Heather." He turns toward the large oak tree, and pounces on it with one giant leap. The big oak shakes a little, which takes me off guard. He ...made...the... tree... shake? How could he have managed to do that? He climbed fast like a mountain lion, then took

a timid jump towards the window, and landed with a great thud on the

Plywood floor. I realize he has a ferret on his belt, a dead one with its eyes frozen wide open in shock. The stench wafting from it made me want to vomit. I take a step back in disgust; "Eww, that's so disgusting." I exclaim, holding my nose tight. Garold looks down at his belt with a mischievous smile on his clearly amused face. Then he glances at me and takes the ferret off his belt, shoving the rotting corpse in my face; " Like it, doesn't it smell appetizing ?" he says sarcasticly,the ferret still hanging in front of my face, making me step back another step away from him. ; "Just give it to Mary so we can dispose of it as soon as possible, its really starting to smell." I shoo Garold away from me, hoping he gets the picture. He sighs; "Alright, I get the picture, See?" he throws the ferret at Mary, she catches it and bites into its neck as I bite into an apple, hard.

I turn my head away, hearing a few slurps and one belch. Garold chuckles carelessly, and Mary laughs along with him. Mary had not laughed in such a long time, but since Garold appeared, I realized she has been a lot happier. Like on those crummy rainy days Mary used to dread, she now loved. She would wake up every morning, skipping around the orphanage, saying how wonderful life was and that everything was perfect now. I sigh, and look over at them. They seemed like soulmates, as if they were meant for each other. Oh, how I wish I had someone that was meant for me, someone who would unconditionally love me, wrap me tight in their arms, and promise never to leave me. To kiss whisper and me loving words in my ear, and to snuggle with on those cold winter nights.

Garold stopped laughing with Mary, and his expression became empathetic and sad. He looked like he really understood what I was going through as his alien eyes bore into mine. His eyes were so beautiful, so enchanting that I ended up gazing into them so deeply that I started to hear things. In my mind, I heard a mysterious voice speak, "I understand, Heather." Startled, I pulled hard out of his gaze. Garold looked away, and then glanced at Mary. "You girls should start packing, we travel at night and rest during the day." He said abruptly.

I speak to him without making eye contact, still shaken by the voice the might have possibly been him. "So, we should pack only stuff we'll really need, right?" He responds back almost robotically. "Right." I start to walk towards my bed; next to it is a little dresser with my belongings in it. I shuffle through the knick knacks I had collected during the years.

There were numerous collections of things I no longer needed. For instance, I had keys to every door in the orphanage. Where I got them, well...let's just say they were "borrowed". Delicately, I picked up a fragile porcelain doll from my childhood. Its big blue glass eyes stared up at me, inanimate. When I was little I had called her Bell. She had dark curls that framed her heart shaped face, a cupid's bow for lips. I hugged Bell tight, and then brought her to eye level. She was the only real piece of love my biological parents had given me. It saddened me to think of my parents. Did they love me? Where were they? I traced they shape of Bells lips as I frowned. I was definitely going to bring her.

Garold walked towards me with grace in his every step. I envied him for that. He was beautiful and graceful. I on the other hand, tripped over my own feet at times. I huffed. Garold looked at me with a glint in his eyes as he smirked. I realized he was glancing down at what was in my arms. Hastily, I threw Bell into my ratty suitcase. He looked from the suitcase to me. "You don't have to hide her. She's kind of cute. What's her name?" Garold said, surprisingly understanding. I hesitated. Was he humoring me? No, I don't think he would do that. He actually seems... serious. "Her name is ...Bell." I mumbled out. Garold didn't seem that surprised. "That's a sweet name." He replied simply. I looked at Garold. I noticed that his eyes seemed to glow brighter then Mary's. They seemed much more ancient. He smiled sympathetically. I could sense that he knew much more about me then he was telling. I didn't press for it though. Last thing I wanted was to get a vampire on my bad side. I lightly chuckled.

Both Garold and I stood there awkwardly for a while, and then we both just drifted apart to do more important things. I packed away the rest of the little things I had. Occasionally Garold would take a glance at me. I could see though, that it was not the kind of interest I had thought it was. He only looked at Mary that way. He looked at me a totally different way, almost like a scientist would look at his test subject. That scared me a bit. I tried to shake off the thought. A playful laugh echoed in the back of the room. I turned around fast to see Mary cornered by Garold. They were both smiling in a love drunk way. Then Garold leaned in and planted a full, passionate kiss on Mary's lips. The couple continued making out for longer then I could stand. I turned my head away. Those two need some privacy, at least. It made me sad to see them in such love. I wanted to be in love like that oh so much...

Trying to ignore the grunts and gasps of Garold and Mary, I tried to shift my attention to the future. With all this new news, it was hard to think of what would happen next. Where will we go? What will Garold say to me staying human? Do I want to stay human? The last question I pondered at for the longest time. I still felt indecisive about the last one. Finally, Garold and Mary came over to me. I looked down to what Mary was holding. All she held was little plastic manila folder, two pieces of jewelry, and one change of clothing. Wow, she had really carried light. Suddenly, I felt like I had brought too much. Garold piped up: "Soo...you ready to get on the road?" He directed the question towards me. I nodded. "Alright, lets get to it mate." He threw in an accent at the last word. Mary giggled. We all started to walk towards the window, which I didn't quite understand. Garold was the only one with the cat-like reflexes. He was the only one capable of climbing down a tree that high. As always though, he proved me wrong.

"Mary, you're first. I know it seems crazy, but just climb down, okay? Then I'll go second, and you'll go last Heather." Garold didn't wait for us to agree. He practically pushed Mary out the window. After he went, and once it was my turn, Garold climbed up three quarters of the way. "Now Heather," He addressed me like a frightened child, which at the moment I was, "You might have a more difficult time getting down due to...your lack of reflexes. I don't mean it offensive; it's just that both Mary and I are more flexible. So take it easy... Unless you want help, of course." It was a question, but a rhetorical one. He knew I wanted help. I still asked though, just to make sure he got the point. "Yeah...I kind of need help. I don't exactly like heights."

Garold nodded and climbed to me. He reached out his pale, muscular hand, offering it to me. I took it and he pulled me on to his back. As he carried me, I couldn't help but notice the ground below. It seemed so far away at first, but as Garold climbed closer, the height wasn't as frightening. We got to the bottom. Mary had seemed to manage the climb down. I was the only weak link. While I stood there with Mary unusually awkward, Garold got our things. He came down the tree, handed them to us, and said a fragment I would have never thought would have been so meaningful: "Let's go. Follow me."

2

When Garold had said "Let's hit the road." he didn't really mean that. Actually, we were traveling through woods. The woods were like any other, except they were mossier and greener. You couldn't see the colors much though, when you traveled at night. He had explained that we traveled in the night because of the vampire's weakness to the sun. They wouldn't instantly incinerate like the movies showed. Vampires had very pale, vulnerable skin. Not very sun resistant. So in theory, they got a killer case of sunburn. Ouch! We had a lantern to see, and some food. The little food we had though was given to me because of Garolds appetite and Mary's new one. I turned my head in disgust when they had to find a meal. Thank God they didn't take down a big animal. I shuddered at the thought.

We wandered through the woods for quite some time, longer then I would have wanted. It was awkward, between Garold and I. Ever since that voice had popped up into my head, both he and I were unconsciously avoiding each other. Mary seemed more alive, even though technically, she wasn't. She was so much happier with Garold, which was great. I just couldn't absorb the stuff going on with him. Was he psychic? He had to be. At the moment, he had his right arm over Mary's shoulder, and he was whispering quiet words into her ear. Occasionally, she would giggle. I was getting sick of this constant lovey dovey stuff. Mary and I used to talk all the time. We would entertain each other. I'd wake her up when she was having a nightmare. We would even flip through an old, battered copy of Vogue magazine, since it was the only one we ever got. That's what friends did together. It made me sad to think that it might never be the same...

Garold halted, and hastily told Mary to keep going. He fell behind purposefully, to be next to me. Flipping his shaggy auburn hair back so it didn't fall in his eyes, he looked intently at me, making me squirm: "Heather...look...I know you're kind of... freaked out by me...and I totally understand that... I was freaked out by me too first time I found out I could...read minds. You've got to understand though, that I didn't choose this...none of us did. mostly." He paused and smirked at me, "I promise never to enter your head again, unless you tell me to. Sorry for that before." Garold now looked at the ground and kicked a rock as if it were a soccer ball as he walked. He was waiting for an answer of some sort. I cleared my throat: "Garold...I accept your apology. But I also... have a few questions. First of all, how did you get in my head? I thought I was pretty strong minded..." He chuckled, obvious that he knew something; something's...that I didn't know. I hated it too, with a great passion.

"Well," He breathed, "It's a little hard to explain. But I'm sure I'll be able to break it down. Okay, so you know how a security system works, right? The old fashioned kind? Your brain, in a way, is like that. There are guards in your brain, you strong mindedness you would call it. Those guards are meant to keep intruders out, right? Well, the people doing that only protect some parts. All I have to do is slip into your head...where the guards aren't keeping watch... without a sound or sight of me." We were still walking, now entering a clearing. I could only tell because of the twilight seeping through the hole in the canopy. I felt Garold tense beside me. Maybe it was because it was the edge of day and night, or that there were thirteen ragged children walking towards us. They're faces were pale, and with the bluish light casting over they're skin, they looked like moon gods. Candlelight splashed over Garolds face from the lantern. He too, looked astoundingly beautiful. He left my side in a rush, and fled to them.

I noticed fireflies flying all around me. They glowed neon in the twilight. Tonight was so...magical in a way. I spun around, and laughed carelessly as my arms spread towards the sky. The feeling of being so free, so lifted from my usual worries, made me want to hug everything imaginable. All of a sudden, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up on end. I was being watched, I realized. I turned ninety degrees and find myself being observed by all seventeen vampires. Garold and Mary stood there, Garold with his mouth pulled into a humorous smile, and Mary with her hand covering her mouth, obviously laughing.

I paused and waited for an explanation for all these vampire kids. What is taking him so long? I thought. Garold owes me an answer. His head snapped up, looking at me. He had heard my thoughts, which was what I was hoping for. Garold turned towards the kids halfway, the other half facing me. "Heather, these are my friends. Friends, this is Heather. We'll be staying with them for a while." He said. I nodded as a sign of an agreement, even though I really didn't have a say in this. Mary and I stood in awkward silence. We didn't know exactly where to go from there. I started to twirl a piece of my ash blond, unmanageable hair. She played with a piece of her long skirt. Eventually, I glanced up from the ground. A few feet away, stood a boy a little taller then Garold. He had turquoise eyes, angelic white skin with chiseled features, and straight dark hair that hung in his eyes. I almost gasped. His enchanting eyes swirled with questions, a curiosity he couldn't seem to bare.

It was hard not to look. The boy was so gorgeous. I couldn't get over that. I saw him shift his stance, and suddenly, he was two feet in front of me. His ocean eyes twinkled at me as he spoke: "I'm Adrian." Adrian stuck his hand out. I took it in mine. "Heather." His hand was cool and sent tingles through mine. I blushed shyly. He was quite dazzling, like a supermodel. Adrian stared at me a bit too long as well, which made him turn away. I doubt he was looking at me though. Pretty was a word I scarcely used for myself. He scooted closer, making me edgy. After all, Adrian was a vampire. What if he wanted to bite me? My heart pounded violently against my chest. It was a mix of fear and attraction. Adrian was cute, more than cute...he was perfect. But on the other hand, he was a monster, ready to pounce...


End file.
